The showdown over a loyalty oath that would deny any Communist affiliation had finally arrived. On one side: The SAG president, Joseph L. Mankiewicz, who faced ''the most dramatic evening in my life,'' he later recalled. On the other: Cecil B. DeMille, one of the founders of the movie industry.

Small business advocates have raised concerns a section of the 2011 National Defense Authorization Act will be used to threaten and intimidate small businesses that take issue with DoD's small business contracting practices.